


Bargaining

by butyoumight



Series: Since the Ocean is Our Coffin [5]
Category: Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-07-05
Updated: 2011-07-05
Packaged: 2017-10-21 02:12:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,072
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/219762
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/butyoumight/pseuds/butyoumight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><i>They are evenly matched in their conviction, Marvelous at least knows that despite their sordid history and all he owes Basco for, this fight comes down to a single driving force: the desire to claim Joe.</i></p>
            </blockquote>





	Bargaining

**Author's Note:**

> Alternate Universe. Follows up my _[Shuffling Your Deck of Trick Cards](http://archiveofourown.org/series/8684)_ series.

Joe feels cold when he wakes up, and it takes his sleep addled brain a moment to figure out why.

Marvelous isn't lying beside him anymore. This is strange enough to have Joe immediately frantic and he tumbles out of Marvelous' bed, barely having the presence of mind to find and struggle into his pants before he tears out of the room, bare footed and shirtless.

The main room is quiet, eerily so, and for a moment Joe thinks they've done it again, locked him in while they left to fight Basco. But no, there it is, the tell-tale sound of silverware to plates. He rounds the corner to the table and the four sitting there all turn to look at him.

Just four. Joe's eyes narrow as he stares at each of them for a moment before he settles his glare on Don.

"Where is he?" Joe realizes his voice is shaking, and he's sure he must look an utter mess, but he doesn't care. He advances on the table, his fists clenched at his sides so he doesn't start throwing things. " _Where is he?_ "

"Joe-san." Ahim stands up, brushing her hands down her skirt before she approaches him, wrapping dainty fingers around his wrist and pulling at his arm, imploring. "Sit down and eat something."

Joe wants to pull away from her, wants to curse at them all for pretending like nothing's wrong. But he can't do that to Ahim. "I can't eat." He grates out, but he does let her pull him to the table, push him down into his chair.

The empty chair and place-setting to his immediate left is mocking him, and he barely notices Don filling his plate, or Ahim pouring him tea.

"How can you just be sitting here?" Joe growls, again tempted to take the plate and throw it against the wall. "He's out there, isn't he? Risking his life?"

"As you've done?" Luka snaps, reaching across the table to slap Joe smartly across the cheek. "Get a hold of yourself, Joe. He'll be back."

"You can't know that." Joe says with a snarl, staring blankly at the full teacup in front of him. "Basco..."

"Don't." Don smacks the table to draw attention to himself. "Don't you start thinking that Marvelous can't beat him."

"How can you be so sure he can?" Joe shoots back. "He's beaten us all, every time."

"Marvelous-san wouldn't have gone off by himself if he didn't know that he could win." Gai says confidently, though he avoids Joe's glare. Joe actually almost laughs at him, but it's a sick half-chuckle, strangled at the end by doubt.

Gai obviously has no idea just how reckless Marvelous can be.

X

Somehow, Marvelous isn't surprised to find Basco waiting for him, still wearing his nearly all black ensemble that strangely makes him seem surreal. Insubstantial, every bit the ghost Navi had warned them about. The stark scar on Basco's face ripples a bit when he scowls, and his eyes seem to burn right through Marvelous.

Marvelous refuses to be frightened. He draws his Mobirates out of his pocket even as Basco advances on him slowly, almost leisurely. Basco is fearless, so too must Marvelous be. That was why he had to finish this on his own, alone, without his crew to back him up. He could never best Basco so long as he was worried about the others. This was the only way.

"You're a fool, Marvey-chan." Basco growls, drawing that same sharp sword from beneath his shawl, letting the sheath fall carelessly to the ground. The cutting edge glittered dangerously in the mocking sunshine.

Marvelous answered by pulling out his Ranger Key. Basco has honor enough to stop, maybe ten paces away, while Marvelous transforms and draws his cutlass.

"It ends today, Basco."

Basco laughed at him as they circled one another, both waiting for the best moment to make the first move, each waiting for the other to even think about dropping his guard. "You're very optimistic, Marvey-chan. You can't honestly believe you'll beat me."

"You have no Ranger Keys to hide behind this time."

"Nor did I the last time, and yet I won. And I even let you live, a mistake I am beginning to regret. You want me to hunt them all down?"

"You will never lay a hand on any of my comrades again." Marvelous stops moving, inviting Basco to come at him.

It's not the perfect moment and they both know it, but someone has to make the first move, strike the first blow or they could keep exchanging insults forever. Despite everything that had changed for them both, they were still at their centers the same Basco and Marvelous who had bickered together as they explored the galaxy under the guiding hand of AkaRed.

Basco flies at him with a feral snarl and there's no more talking, it all falls away to become little more than an elaborate dance, exchanged strikes and blocks, glancing blows and sweeping kicks. They might as well be sparring like in the old days, each trying to teach the other and still refuse to learn. Of course, that had never worked, and now Marvelous feels he might as well be fighting himself.

They are evenly matched in their conviction, Marvelous at least knows that despite their sordid history and all he owes Basco for, this fight comes down to a single driving force: the desire to claim Joe. They are also matched in speed, and what Marvelous has in brute strength Basco makes up for in having a longer reach both with his limbs and his sword.

Marvelous isn't sure when he loses track of the rhythm of their deadly dance, but it happens. It feels almost inevitable that he can't win this fight, and for a moment, as his cutlass goes clattering away and Basco twists his arm behind his back, slashing the sword across his chest brutally, Marvelous wonders if maybe, somehow, Basco's devotion might be just a hint greater than his own.

Basco uses his hold on Marvelous' arm to flip him and throw him to the ground. Marvelous hears something snap near his shoulder, though the sudden pain is so blinding that he can't rationally figure out whether it's a bone or something else. His back hits the pavement and knocks the air out of him, and a familiar red glow tells Marvelous that his power has left him.

Slowly Marvelous' mind clears itself of enough of the painful haze to realize that Basco is crouching beside his head. The sword is lying across his chest, just hinting at the danger Marvelous is in. Marvelous stares into Basco's eyes and prays again that Joe will forgive him for his pride and stupidity.

Basco shakes his head, and for a moment Marvelous wonders if he'd actually spoken his feeble prayer aloud.

"I'd very much like to kill you, Marvey-chan." He says this so conversationally that Marvelous has to laugh. Basco rolls his eyes at him.

"Unfortunately, I can't do that. I know how much you mean to my blue-chan."

Marvelous growls at this; the stupid pet name, the casual reference to possession. Basco smiles.

"But I think I can make this work for me. You were prideful enough to face me alone, I should take what providence sends and make good use." Basco had always been a talker, and that at least had not changed. He simply enjoyed the sound of his own voice. Marvelous remembers when he too appreciated that low, song-like tone, and he can taste bile in the back of his throat when he wonders if those sort of feelings were why Joe became so distressed whenever Marvelous had spoken of killing Basco.

"If you won't tell him to come to me, I'll just have to make him come for you."

Marvelous doesn't even have time to register that Basco is moving, lifting the sword from Marvelous' chest and reversing his grip with a quick flourish before he brings the hilt down against Marvelous' temple. The last thing Marvelous sees is Basco's triumphant smirk, that light in his eyes that Marvelous finally realizes is what has truly changed about Basco.

He's gone utterly mad.

X

Full consciousness returns to Marvelous slowly, cautiously, as though his mind is aware of the pain his body is in and reluctant to deal with it. It comes in stages, first a dull red glow behind his eyelids that tells him that unfortunately he is in fact awake. Then the throbbing pain in his head, centered where Basco had struck him. Strangely, the next thing he notices is that his fingertips are tingling, and he realizes that his wrists have been bound together, tight enough to have cut off circulation.

His shoulder is the last thing to make its pain known, and at least he's fairly sure now, shifting against the wall he's been propped against, that he probably doesn't have a broken bone. It's a small comfort considering the amount of pain he's in, and especially so once he opens his eyes to find Basco crouching in front of him, holding his Mobirates.

"You're awake?"

Marvelous tries to be cocky, tries to put on a show, but all that escapes his mouth is a truly pathetic groan as he slips sideways down the wall a bit, pulling his bad shoulder at an awkward angle. Basco smirks a bit, grabbing Marvelous by the hair to drag him back upright.

Marvelous pants softly for a moment, his breath feels strangely ragged in his throat and he wonders what other damage Basco had wrought while he was unconscious. He looks around while he tries to catch his breath, but they don't appear to be on a ship. The mostly empty space around them was too large to fit on any typical ship. He could only hope they were still on Earth. "Where did you take me?"

Basco shrugs, passing Marvelous' Mobirates from hand to hand. "Don't worry so much. I couldn't just have you lying around out in the street. I have to sleep somewhere, Marvey-chan, seeing as you destroyed my ship."

Marvelous narrows his eyes slightly, and he's tempted to ask how Basco had come to Earth without a ship, but Basco continues speaking with hardly a pause.

"You know I didn't want to do this, Marvey-chan. I gave you such a great opportunity, but you really forced my hand." Basco flipped open his Mobirates and held it in front of him. "Call him, Marvey-chan. Tell him to come."

Marvelous snarls at him and purposefully turns his face away. "I won't."

Marvelous gasps when Basco grabs him roughly by the throat, and a hint of dull pain makes it obvious that this is not the first time Basco has done so in the past however long it had been since Basco knocked him out. The thought is somewhat disturbing.

Basco drags Marvelous around to face him again, shaking him a little and Marvelous' shoulder screams in fresh pain. "You _will_ do it."

Marvelous' voice is soft and choked when he responds. "I won't let you have him."

Basco smirked, rolled his eyes and shoved Marvelous against the wall. "How long, Marvey-chan? How long until they start to worry about you?" His tone is dangerous, taunting and Marvelous' heart sinks further with each word. "How long until they trace this," Basco shakes the Mobirates in Marvelous' face. "And come to rescue you, guns blazing? Did you leave them orders to lock blue-chan up? I bet you did."

Marvelous really does hate it when Basco's right. "What did I say, Marvey-chan? I'll kill them all. If they come for you, they will all die. And I'll make sure you watch. Is that what you want?"

He doesn't answer, and Basco chuckles softly. "How much are their lives worth to you? Is blue-chan worth all four of the others? You know I won't hurt him." Basco places the open Mobirates in Marvelous' nearly numb hands and stands up. "The choice is yours. Bring blue-chan. Make sure he's alone. Or I'll take him by force."

Marvelous hates himself, he hates this entire situation. The guilt and the pain is overwhelming. Even though he can barely feel his fingers, he can dial Joe's number on pure reflex and muscle memory. He closes his eyes, because he can't bear the triumphant smile on Basco's face.


End file.
